The Glory of the Creator
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.
We are not clear upon the meaning of the word Gittith, Some think it refers to Gath, and may refer to a tune commonly sung there, or an instrument of music there invented, or a song of Obededom the Gittite, in whose house the ark rested, or, better still, a song sung over Goliath of Goth. Others, tracing the Hebrew to its root, conceive it to mean a song for the winepress, a joyful hymn for the treaders of grapes. The term Gittith is applied to two other Psalms (81 and 84), both of which, being of a joyous character, it may be concluded, that where we find that word in the title, we may look for a hymn of delight.
Be Worshipful Psalm 8
This is a “nature psalm” (see 19, 29, 65, 104), but it is also a Messianic psalm (Matt. 21:16; Heb. 2:6–8; 1 Cor. 15:27; Eph. 1:22).
O Lord our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength Because of thine enemies, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, And hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, Yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Created (1-2, 5a)
Created (1-2, 5a)
O Lord our Lord, How excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength Because of thine enemies, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, And hast crowned him with glory and honour.
A Personal & Powerful God
A Personal & Powerful God
Our Lord — not only is He “the Lord,” but He is also “our Lord.”
Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, And his arm shall rule for him: Behold, his reward is with him, And his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with his arm, And carry them in his bosom, And shall gently lead those that are with young. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, And meted out heaven with the span, And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, And weighed the mountains in scales, And the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or being his counseller hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, And taught him in the path of judgment, And taught him knowledge, And shewed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, And are counted as the small dust of the balance: Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations before him are as nothing; And they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
The God of all of the universe, who upholds all things by the word of His power, who measures the universe with the stretch of His fingers, who can hold all the waters of the planet by cupping His palm (326 million trillion gallons — 326 with 18 zeros behind it)
Nebuchadnezzer and the 3 Hebrew Children
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Moses before Pharaoh
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
(A Personal God)
A Praiseworthy God
A Praiseworthy God
Praise is something that even a child can do — even an infant can participate in.
The Treasury of David, Volume 1: Psalms 1–26 Exposition
He who delights in the songs of angels is pleased to honour himself in the eyes of his enemies by the praises of little children. What a contrast between the glory above the heavens, and the mouths of babes and sucklings! yet by both the name of God is made excellent.
And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
Quote — Words are only sounds plus breath, two very weak things. Yet words of praise even from sucklings (not yet weaned) and babes (children able to play in the streets) can defeat God’s enemies! The cry of baby Moses ultimately brought Egypt to her knees, and the birth of Samuel was used by God to save Israel and bring David to the throne. Of course, it was the birth of Jesus that brought salvation to this world. Indeed, God has used the weak and helpless to praise Him and help defeat His enemies.
Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 41). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
In the grandness of creation, man seems but an insignificant thing, but in the eyes of the Personal, Powerful, and Praiseworthy God, man serves a special purpose.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God?
(Created)
Cared For (3-4)
Cared For (3-4)
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Feeling Insignificant
Feeling Insignificant
Man = weak man
Son of Man = Son of the earth, earth-born
Both emphasize the weakness and frailty of mankind
In comparison with the vastness of creation, we are but specks, tiny, unseemly inhabitants of a puny planet dropped in the cosmos.
A long look into the stars, and the majesty of creation, the ingenuity and the creativity of the Creator causes anyone to wonder why a God that incomprehensible would care so much for a people so flawed.
The Father’s Involvement
The Father’s Involvement
Mindful = to remember (as in to meet a need)
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
Visitest = to pay attention, observe
Thou hast granted me life and favour, And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.
And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
(Created)
(Cared For)
Crowned (5-8)
Crowned (5-8)
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, And hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, Yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, And whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
In Creation
In Creation
“A Little Lower than the Angels” — Instead of humans being “a little higher than animals,” as science believes, they are actually “a little lower than [angels].”
Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be worshipful (1st ed., p. 42). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
The dominion that was given to man at creation was lost at the fall.
Instead of man having dominion over the world, sin has dominion over the world.
In Christ
In Christ
Man lost their dominion, but Christ wielded it.
Over the beasts of the wilderness
Over the fish in the sea of Galilee (filled the nets)
Over the rooster that crowed at Peter’s denial
Over the colt that He rode into Jerusalem
Now, Christ has dominion over all creation.
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The book of Hebrews 2 quotes this Psalm to illustrate that Christ has regained all that man lost in the fall, and one day, when we see Him face to face, we will reign with Him.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Conclusion
Conclusion
There’s only one conclusion you can come to when you discover that the Creator God Cares for you and Has Crowned You as His Child:
O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.